


Nolo timere, amare volo

by DaughterOfApollo14



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Gryffindor Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Inter-House Friendships, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, will hopefully cover all seven books eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-04-25 10:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14376615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterOfApollo14/pseuds/DaughterOfApollo14
Summary: "I don't want to be scared anymore. Why can't I be brave?"Draco Malfoy has been feared by the wizarding world for three years now. Ever since his parents were thrown into Azkaban for torturing him and experimenting on him. Now he's about to start Hogwarts and he hopes some of his classmates will be able to look past the rumours and fear about him and become his friends instead.





	1. Chapter One: Principium

**Chapter one: Principium**

 

At the end of July, a boy would be born. A boy with a great power. His parents would give their lives to protect him. The Dark Lord would vanish. But before that, another boy would be born. A boy whose parents were more than willing to give their baby to their lord. A boy who was meant to be turned into a weapon. A boy took his first breath on the fifth of June and experienced his first crucio only seconds later. 

A boy’s parents would be killed, the Dark lord would vanish. The wizarding world would celebrate. A boy would be sent to live with his aunt and uncle. Another boy’s parents would bribe the Ministry, convince them of their own innocence. His parents would continue the torture and experiments of their now missing lord. They would continue to try and strengthen the boy’s magic, to try and turn him into the weapon their lord would need once he returned.

One boy would grow up hated by his family, locked in a cupboard. The other would grow up terrified of his parents, feared by the wizarding world.

* * *

 

When little Draco was eight, he had long since adapted to the way things were. He knew very well what to expect. Which is why it surprised him when the other adults apparently did not know how things were supposed to go.

He was spending the day at the Parkinson Estate, his parents believed he should make connections and alliances as early as possible and had decided that young Pansy and her little sister Violet would be perfect for that. Draco didn’t mind, any chance to escape his home was very welcome.

Draco and Pansy had been playing on Pansy’s practice racing brooms, Violet to nervous to talk to the strange older boy and hiding with her mother. Draco enjoyed the flying lots, but as this was his first time on a broom, it wasn’t very surprising when he fell off. As he landed on the ground, a very loud snap could be heard. Pansy watched in horror as Draco’s arm broke and let out a loud scream at the weird angle his arm was now bent in.

Draco barely noticed as he got back up and went to get back on the broom. Before he could however, Pansy stopped him with tears running down her face. She dragged him all the way to her parents and demanded that they fix her new friend.

Draco didn’t worry. Not when they vanished his shirt so they could better view his arm. Not when Mrs. Parkinson let out a loud gasp at the scars littering his body. Not when Mr. Parkinson went tense and swore. Not when Pansy started crying even louder and Violet covered her eyes. And when Mr. Parkinson asked him how he got the scars, he answered him honestly. After all, this was all very normal. It was strange the Parkinson’s didn’t already know about it, but that was the only strange thing there for little Draco.

After that everything happened really fast. Mr. Parkinson used the floo to travel to the Ministry and returned surrounded by aurors. Mrs. Parkinson healed Draco’s arm and then took her daughters away.

The aurors asked a lot of questions and Draco got very confused. It was one thing that the Parkinson’s didn’t know how things were supposed to go, but why didn’t the aurors know it either?

* * *

 

Within a month everything had changed. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were both sentenced to Azkaban for child abuse and the use of Unforgivable Curses.

The wizarding world had found a new topic to gossip about and it didn’t take long before countless of different rumours had spread about what may have been done to ‘that Malfoy boy’ and what sort of evil thing he had turned into. Instead of feeling sympathy for the poor abused eight year old boy, most believed he must be some kind of evil and only felt fear. 

Draco started living with his godfather and slowly learned that maybe things had not been normal after all. And while he slowly learned to stop expecting pain at every turn, his fear and nightmares only grew worse as he realised what kind of evil existed in the world.

* * *

 

**Three years later**

Screams rang out throughout the small apartment Severus Snape held within Hogwarts and before he knew it, he had reached the bedroom with his young ward in it.

“Draco, Draco,” Severus called out as he shook his young ward awake, “It’s alright, you’re okay.”

The eleven year old hugged his godfather tightly and slowly calmed down.

“Uncle Sev?” The boy whispered.

“Yes, Draco?” Severus answered. 

“I don’t want to start Hogwarts anymore.”

“Why not? You were so excited before.”

“What if I get another nightmare? I… I don’t want them to witness that.”

“You can’t control your nightmares, Draco, you know that. But you know how to perform silencing charms and you can always come to me. Your room will still be here, even when you have a dormitory as well.”

With that Draco’s fears slowly grew smaller and he was nearly asleep when he spoke up again.

“Uncle Sev?”

Severus sighed, before replying “Yes, Draco?”

“I don’t want to be scared anymore. Why can’t I be brave?”

“Draco, you are one of the bravest boys I know. Bravery is _not_ the absence of fear, it is continuing despite that fear. You’ve been doing that for as long as you’ve been alive. Now try to get some more sleep, okay? We have a long day tomorrow.”

Draco nodded and his eyes closed again. Severus stood up and quietly walked out of his ward’s room. Just before he closed the door, he heard a whispered “I love you.”. 

Severus hoped his fears about the upcoming school year would not come to realisation. He hoped the wizarding world be kinder than he knew it to be and that some first years would be able to look past the whispers and the fear that surrounded Draco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time trying to write more than a one shot. I have some ideas/a basic timeline of how the rest of the story will go, but it is not written yet. I definitely plan on writing out the entirety of it, but I don't want to make any promises I might not be able to keep.
> 
> Next chapter: Draco will worry about making friends and do some school shopping
> 
> Latin translations: Nolo timere, amare volo - I don't want to fear, I want to love  
> Principium - The beginning
> 
> Thank you all for reading this! Please let me know in the comments what you thought of it


	2. Desiderium et curiositas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Draco to worry about making friends an go shopping for Hogwarts supplies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos last chapter, I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much.

**Chapter two: Desiderium et curiositas**

The next morning Draco woke up early. Despite his rough night, he was very excited. He was already dressed and ready by the time Severus opened the door to wake him up.

“You’re up early,” Severus said drily.

“I just couldn’t wait any longer,” he answered enthusiastically. “We’re going Hogwarts shopping today!”

“Yes, we are. Come eat breakfast first though.”

And so he did. Draco was sitting at their dinner table, munching his toast, when he slowly grew quieter. He swallowed his bite and looked up at his uncle. Severus seemed unbothered, eating his breakfast like any other morning. As if he didn’t realise how big this day was, what it would entail for Draco.

Draco looked back down at his plate. He had been so excited earlier, but now it all just seemed terrifying again. He had encountered other wizards and witches before, even other children. How could he not, after all, he lived at Hogwarts. He knew how those others treated him, how they would walk in a big circle around him, as if he had some highly contagious disease. How they would whisper behind their hands, about how horrific everything must have been for the poor tortured lad, about the monster he must have become as a result of all those horrific things happening to him.

Would anything be different when he started Hogwarts? When he was surrounded by children his age, children who must realise he was just a kid too? When he would share a dorm with those other kids and they would see all of his scars?

Draco somehow doubted it. Those kids would look down upon him and fear him and avoid him just as their parents had taught them to.

And so he was filled with dread when he went with his uncle to pick up the muggleborn student they would take with them on their shopping trip.

* * *

 

Anthony Goldstein was not scared. No, he had felt nothing but curiosity since the moment his future professor, someone named Snape, had come to his house and explained the existence of a whole magical world to him. He wanted to know everything. 

He had asked the professor question after question until his mother had stepped in and told him to leave some questions, so he still had something to learn at school. His father had looked like he wanted to protest, his father was just as innately curious as Anthony himself was, but one look from his mother kept him quiet. The professor had looked very relieved at the end of the endless questions.

He had been filled with a need to know more ever since professor Snape had left again, but today he would finally know more. He would go to a wizarding place, a whole shopping district with only magic shops. He would get to buy books that would hold the answers to so many of his questions. His parents had already promised him he would get to buy more than the few required books.

It didn’t occur to Anthony that he might meet other wizards or witches his age, that he might make some friends. Instead Anthony was only deeply inquisitive about this new world he was suddenly a part of.

It would only occur to Anthony that having friends in this unknown world, when he opened his front door to let his new professor in and saw a small blond boy half hidden behind professor Snape.

* * *

 

It was only later that the two boys actually spoke to each other. They had bought most of their equipment already, only needing a wand, uniform and their books now. Anthony’s mother had made the decision that they would get the school books last, knowing it would be hard to get her son to leave the book shop, and Snape hadn’t argued. 

During their shopping trip, people had given Draco weird looks. Had avoided talking to him, instead only speaking directly to Snape.

Anthony didn’t notice any of this, too entranced with everything around him to pay any attention to the humans around him.

Draco’s fears however were only strongly reinforced. Not necessarily because the shopkeepers and people on the street were treating him badly, he was used to that, but because even this muggleborn, who surely couldn’t know anything about his past, was acting as if he didn’t exist. How could he ever make friends when even muggleborns refused to acknowledge his existence?

When they stopped in front of Madam Malkin’s, Draco and Anthony were placed on little pedestals to be fitted and Snape left with Mrs. and Mr. Goldstein for some coffee and to answer any questions they might still have about their son’s new school.

Anthony wanted to protest, after all he definitely still had questions, but before he could form the words the adults had already left.

“I still had questions,” he said nonetheless, speaking to no one in particular.

“I could try to answer them,” Draco mumbled back and suddenly the other boy was staring at him, as if he saw him for the first time that day. It made Draco feel nervous. This boy who had ignored him the entire day so far was suddenly just staring at him. He didn’t seem angry though, or fearful, so Draco repeated louder, “I could answer them.”

“Are there really ghosts at Hogwarts? How many? What can they do? Can they—”  

“Ghosts?” Draco asked confused, “Of all the things you could ask about, you want to know about the ghosts? Not the houses or anything like that?

“Yes!” Anthony exclaimed, “Wait, what houses?”

* * *

 

When Snape returned with Mrs. and Mr. Goldstein, the two boys were having a lively conversation, talking about the pros and cons of each house. They continued to talk with each other throughout the rest of their shopping trip and seemed quite disappointed to be separated at the end of it. Anthony made Draco promise that they would sit together on the train and after Draco did, they went their separate ways, Draco and Snape back to Hogwarts and Anthony and his parents back to their house near London.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Please let me know in the comments what you thought and if there's anything you would like me to include in this work
> 
> Next chapter: Draco travels from Hogwarts to King's Cross, so he can travel from King's Cross back to Hogwarts
> 
> Latin translations: Desiderium et curiositas - longing and curiosity


	3. Iter cum odio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco boards the train to Hogwarts and faces some uncomfortable truths. Meanwhile, Anthony makes some new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who read the last chapter and left kudos or subscribed! I hope you all enjoy this chapter too

**Chapter three: Iter cum odio**

“I just don’t understand why I have to go all the way to King’s Cross,” Draco repeated.

Severus sighed. It felt like Draco had said that sentence or some variation of it a hundred times already. “Because that’s the way the rules are. Every student comes to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express,” Severus answered _again_.

“But I’m already at Hogwarts! We live here!”

“I _know_ , Draco. Just as I’ve known it all the other times you’ve told me. That doesn’t change the rules Draco. Besides the Express is a great place to make friends.”

“I guess I _did_ promise Anthony I would sit next to him on the train,” the blonde repeated reluctantly.

“Then why have we been discussing this for days, Draco?!” Severus exclaimed. It really was exhausting to be a parent some days. He was glad Draco was in his care, but the boy certainly wasn’t always the easiest.

* * *

A few hours later, Draco had just entered the Hogwarts Express. Around him people had been so teary saying goodbye to their parents, that it had even gotten difficult for Draco to say goodbye to uncle Sev, but he knew he would see him again in just a few hours. Now it was time for Draco to be brave. He would go find a (hopefully empty) compartment and Anthony would find him and join him and he wouldn’t have to talk with anyone who thought he was evil.

Five minutes later he had given up on that hope. He had passed a lot of compartments already and none of them were empty, nor had he found Anthony. When he came across a compartment with only two boys in it, both of whom seemed like they were also first years, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

* * *

Inside the compartment were two boys, a redhead and a black-haired boy. The two boys were newly minted friends. Even though they had only just met, both already valued their friendship deeply.

Ron had shared almost everything he had ever had his entire life and the few things he hadn’t shared, he had gotten second-hand. He had never really had any friends, instead he was just expected to spend his time with his siblings. It felt amazing to have an actual friend, someone who wasn’t obligated by blood to spend time with him.

And Harry, he had never really had anyone who treated him kindly and like he was human. There had been some teachers of course, and Hagrid had been kind, but Ron was the first person his own age and his entire family was _magic_.

When a boy knocked on their door, both felt trepidation. They didn’t want anything to disturb their new friendship. When a blonde came through the door, Harry’s trepidation was met with some hope that he might make another friend, while Ron’s trepidation turned into actual fear when he saw who had entered their compartment.

* * *

After Draco had knocked on the door, he opened the door and entered.

“Uhm, hi?” Draco said, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He had no idea who these kids were, and he was afraid they had grown up in the wizarding world and knew who he was. Hesitantly, he continued, “I’m Draco. Is there any space in this compartment?”

The black-haired boy answered, “Off course, I’m—”

“No! You’re not, you’re not welcome here” Ron interrupted, looking scared.

Harry wanted to protest, the boy hadn’t done anything, but when he saw how scared Ron, his new friend, looked, he decided he should agree with him. “He’s right, there’s no more space.”

Draco felt devastated, he didn’t know why. This is what he had expected. This is what had been happening for years. Why did he think Hogwarts would be any different? He felt his eyes well up with tears. Before they could fall, Draco let out a soft “Oh”, turned around and quickly left the compartment again. He could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks, but he quickly swiped them away. He would not allow those boys to make him feel this bad, he refused to.

After he had recomposed himself, he continued down the train looking for Anthony. Draco might not become popular at Hogwarts, he might not even be liked at all by most of his classmates, but he had already made at least one friend. Draco trusted that Anthony would stay his friend, even after he found out about all the rumours and fears that surrounded him.

* * *

Anthony was feeling great. He had already learnt so much about the wizarding world. He had devoured the books he had gotten at Flourish and Blotts and was very excited to arrive at Hogwarts and learn even more.

When he had gotten on the train, he had sat down in the first empty compartment he saw. He hoped Draco would find him quickly. He had so much to tell him and so many questions to ask him.

After a while two girls had knocked on the door and asked to join him in the compartment. Anthony immediately started a conversation with them, curious about everything. When the train left the station, he had already found out quite a bit about them.

Their names were Susan and Hannah and they’d been friends since they were just a few years old. Susan was a pureblood who was being raised by her aunt, because her parents had died in the war (and boy, was it shocking to hear there had been a war, but the girls had patiently explained it to them). Hannah was a half-blood. Her mother taught children from wizarding children before they went to Hogwarts and had been the teacher of both of the girls, which was how they’d met.

As interesting it was to learn about them, Anthony was getting worried. The train had left fifteen minutes ago and Draco still hadn’t shown up. When he told Hannah and Susan about his worry, they both looked shocked.

“Draco Malfoy?” Hannah asked.

“I guess he’s starting Hogwarts this year too. I can’t believe I didn’t realise that earlier,” Susan continued.

Anthony asked, “Do you know him too? Are you friends?”

“Uhm, well…” Hannah looked awkwardly towards Susan.

She took over and told Anthony, “I wouldn’t call us friends, no. We’ve never actually met him. But everyone knows who he is. He was all over the papers a few years ago. He’s still in them quite often, but now just in the gossip pages.”

“Why? Is he famous?”

“More like infamous. A couple of years back, when we were around seven, it was found out that his—”

“Are you sure we should tell him this? Doesn’t Draco deserve his privacy?” Hannah interrupted.

“Everyone else already knows. He’ll find out some way,” Susan disagreed, “So, anyway, as I was saying, it was found out that his parents had been abusing him badly and had been experimenting on him—”

“They _what_?!” Anthony exclaimed.

Susan sighed, “This would go faster if you two would stop interrupting me. His parents were experimenting on him. No one knows in which ways exactly. They used to be followers of You Know Who, you know? And they believed he would come back and wanted to help his cause in any way they could. They tried to turn their son into a weapon.”

“When people found out, Draco was taken away from them and his parents went to prison,” Hannah continued.

“So that’s why he’s living with professor Snape?” Anthony questioned.

Hannah confirmed this and then Susan continued her story, “The newspapers reported on it, naturally, and because the wizarding world is full of judgemental people, Draco Malfoy is now seen as evil, instead of as a victim.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Anthony objected.

“No, it doesn’t,” Hannah agreed, “But people usually don’t. Someone started some rumour and suddenly that’s what most people believed. My parents thought it was ridiculous and so did Susan’s aunt, but the general public is terrified of him.”

“We should look for him,” Susan proclaimed.

“We should?” Hannah questioned.

“Of course. He’s Anthony’s friend and Anthony is now our friend. Besides, we’re probably some of the few people who don’t hate him or fear him on principle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone, please let me know in the comments below what you thought and if there's something you'd like me to include in this fic!
> 
> It took me little longer to write this chapter than I'd thought. I meant to include the entire journey to Hogwarts, but I didn't have any more time right now. My exams start in two days and I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again, so instead of having to wait an unknown period of time, you get part of the journey to Hogwarts.
> 
> Next chapter: The students arrive at Hogwarts!
> 
> Latin translations: iter cum odio - the journey with hate


	4. Gratia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the journey to Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being a bit short and also doesn't have any Draco POV. I wanted to make it longer, but this just seemed like the perfect place to end the chapter. As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter! And thank you to everyone who commented, subscribed, bookmarked or left kudos last chapter!

**Chapter four: Gratia**

 

It was surprisingly difficult for the three children to find Draco, considering they were on a train. After having searched the entire train, they reconvened in the empty compartment they had occupied before. Only, the compartment wasn’t empty anymore. Instead there was a small blonde boy sitting on the bench. The boy seemed completely engrossed in the book he was reading.

“Draco!” Anthony exclaimed, “I’ve been looking for you all over the train!”

The boy looked up from his book, startled. When he saw Anthony, a small smile graced his lips. Hannah wondered how anyone could think he was evil, when he looked so shy and innocent.

“Hi, Anthony,” the boy, Draco, Hannah reminded herself, answered back softly, “I’ve been looking for you too. When I couldn’t find you, I figured I’d sit in this empty compartment. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been great! I’ve already learned so much about everything. I’m really glad to see you again, it’s felt like ages since Diagon Alley. Are you—”

“ _Ahem_ ” Susan cleared her throat, looking pointedly at Anthony. Anthony blinked slowly, before realising he should introduce his two new friends to Draco. While Anthony had this realisation as a reaction on Susan wordless reminder, Hannah saw Draco startle again, looking nervously behind Anthony at Susan and herself.

Seeing how scared Draco seemed to become when he noticed he wasn’t alone with Anthony made Hannah very sad. She knew what it was like to suddenly become very nervous when you suddenly ended up in unexpected social situations. Her mum always prompted her to be more open and outgoing, but it always seemed impossible. She got clammed up the moment she was supposed to talk to someone she wasn’t already familiar with. She could relate in some way to Draco’s fear, but she also knew that while her fear was an innate reaction her body seemed to have, Draco’s fear was most likely taught to him from experience. 

Wanting to show him he didn’t have to fear them, Hannah sat down on the bench across from him and started speaking before Anthony could introduce them, “Hi, I’m Hannah. That’s Susan,” here she pointed at her friend, hoping she would follow her lead, “you must be Draco.”

“Uhh, yeah” Draco stammered back, looking at her as if she were some kind of alien. Like it was strange she was talking to him instead of cursing at him. She vowed to herself she would make him her friend and make sure kindness became normal for him.

“Anthony’s told us about you. He seems most excited for History of Magic, of all things,” she continued, pretending to be exasperated by Anthony’s weird excitement for the class most classified as the most boring, “What class are you looking forward to?”

Draco stammered again, trying to formulate an answer, before replying, “Potions, I guess. And Charms.”

“Charms is interesting,” Susan responded, taking the seat next to Hannah, “I’m most excited about Defence. I want to be the head of the DMLE later. Also, Anthony, don’t listen to Hannah. She’s most excited about _Herbology_ , History is definitely more interesting than that.”

“Hey! Herbology is cool!” Hannah defended herself, “I really just wish there was some way to keep cooking at Hogwarts…”

“I already promised you, Han, we’ll find the kitchens and convince whoever runs them to let you cook there!”

“I’m sure the House Elves wouldn’t mind it.” Draco said.

“House Elves?” Anthony questioned, finally also taking a seat, “I’ve read about them, I think. Do they run the kitchens?” 

“Yeah. I could show you to the kitchens, if you want.”

“I would love that.” Hannah replied, smiling to herself. Draco seemed more comfortable, her plan was a success. Hannah glanced at Susan and saw her sharing the smile, the other girl realising what Hannah had done.

The rest of the journey seemed to fly by. They had long conversations, arguments really, about which subjects would be the best, each defending their own favourite subjects vigorously. They were only interrupted briefly when a girl with bushy hair entered their compartment asking about a missing toad. When they arrived at Hogwarts, Hannah was happy. Her time at Hogwarts would be great, she already knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading Hannah's chapter. I promise next chapter will have Draco's POV again. If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment. If you would like me to include something in this story, leave it in the comments and I'll see if it will fit into the story :)
> 
> Next chapter: The students are finally at Hogwarts and will get sorted
> 
> Latin translations: Gratia - favour, grace (I looked up what Hannah's name meant and it translated to favour or grace, which I found oddly fitting to her character. This Latin word also means both)


	5. Ordinare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for the sorting!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally posted the next chapter! Sorry it took so long! I definitely planned to finish and post this sooner, but a combination of being on vacation, the hot weather, having a lot less free time than I expected and some personal stuff prevented that.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who commented, left kudos, bookmarked and subscribed. It all definitely helped get this chapter finished! (Especially the comments)

**Chapter five: Ordinare**

Draco took a deep breath as he entered the Great Hall. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. He was home, this was the place he had been living for three years now. He knew every teacher already, except for the new Defense teacher. He had already read through the first couple of chapters of all of his schoolbooks. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous.

Which would have been true, Draco knew, if school was really only about the schoolwork. But it was about so much more than that! It was about being sorted into a house, into a group of people he was supposed to do everything with for the next seven years. It was about sleeping in a room filled with strangers. It was about the way most of the first years made sure they didn’t stand to close to him. Because they were afraid of him.

He was the most feared student at Hogwarts right now. It wasn’t just the first years either. He could see the looks the older students were giving him, immediately recognising him from his platinum blonde hair. Not for the first time, Draco wished Lucius Malfoy was less recognisable. Or at least that Draco had inherited fewer of his physical characteristics.

Maybe it would be better if he had eaten his meals in the Great Hall these last few years. The older students would have already known him. If they would have seen him as a young child, maybe they would have been less scared of him now. Draco had been terrified back then though and the reactions other people had when they saw him had only increased that fear. He understood why uncle Sev had decided having meals in the Great Hall wasn’t a good idea at the time.

Draco was glad he’d at least already met Anthony, Susan and Hannah. They seemed… Nice? Non-judgemental at the very least. He hoped they would all be sorted in the same House.

“Abott, Hannah!”

Draco startled. The sorting had started and he hadn’t even noticed. This was it. One of the most important moments in the lives of all the current first years. The moment that would decide who their friends would be, which characteristics would define them for the rest of their lives. Would they be seen as brave or ambitious? Loyal or smart?

“Hufflepuff!”

That made sense. Of course Hannah is a Hufflepuff. And Hufflepuff was great! People were known for being nice in Hufflepuff. Besides, Draco could definitely be a Hufflepuff—

“Bones, Susan!”

Draco was loyal, right? He thought he was at least. And he was a hard worker.

“Hufflepuff!”

Susan’s also in Hufflepuff. Everything is working out great. We’ll all be sorted in Hufflepuff and be happy together.

“Goldstein, Anthony!”

It would even be okay if other people were mean, because Draco would be with his friends.

“Ravenclaw!”

Oh. With that Draco was awoken from his fantasy. All of his friends wouldn’t be together after all. This still made a lot of sense though. Anthony had seemed to care most about new knowledge from the moment Draco had met him. It would all still be fine though, because while Draco couldn’t really see himself getting sorted in Ravenclaw, he just wasn’t curious enough, there wasn’t really any hostility between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

“Malfoy, Draco!”

Gasps sounded throughout the entire room. People were nudging each other and craning their necks to see him. Everyone who hadn’t already realised he was there, now knew it.

Draco took a deep breath. He could feel his hands shaking. Slowly he walked up to the the Sorting Hat.

After he had sat down, Draco could feel the hat slipping over his head, could feel the hat open its mouth to proclaim his new house and then pause.

_“Well this is interesting… A Malfoy indeed, but you are very different from the other Malfoys…”_

Draco felt his heart beating in his chest. He didn’t want this anymore. He wanted to be sorted into Hufflepuff already. He didn’t want to be scared anymore!

_Bravery is not the absence of fear, it is continuing despite that fear. You’ve been doing that for as long as you’ve been alive…_

_“Hmm, I agree…_ GRYFFINDOR!”

Draco blinked. That couldn’t be right. He didn’t belong in Gryffindor. He was scared all the time.

Professor McGonagall lifted the hat of off him and Draco realised it was real. He stood up and walked to his new table. Unlike when the other students had been sorted, nobody was clapping. Well, that’s not true. Hannah, Susan and Anthony were clapping very enthusiastically and some of the other students at the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin tables were as well. No one at the Gryffindor table was clapping though. Draco sighed, he had expected a reaction like this.

He sat down at the an empty seat at the table and continued watching the sorting ceremony. Nothing else that happened was very interesting to Draco.

Pansy Parkinson turned out to be in his year. Draco vaguely recognised her as the girl who basically saved him from his parents.

One of the boys who had turned him away on the train turned out to be Harry Potter and received the same gasps, nudges and craning neck as Draco had. Unlike Draco though, his sorting was met with the loudest applause of the night after he was sorted in Gryffindor.

The other boy from the train, whose name was apparently Ron Weasley, was also sorted in Gryffindor.

Draco felt the wishes he had had for his time at Hogwarts slowly disappear. He had hoped for fun times in his dormitory and to make a lot of friends in his house. By the way all of his housemates were leaving the seats behind him empty and the way they avoided looking at him, Draco figured those things probably wouldn’t happen.

He looked around the hall at the places he wishes he would have been sitting. Anthony gave him a small smile when he saw Draco looking and Susan and Hannah both waved at him. At least he could still spent time with them outside of classes and meals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! Everyone who didn't get mentioned in this chapter is sorted in the same house as they are in the books. The only one in a different house is Draco.   
> If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment! Also, if there is anything you would like me to include in this story, let me know and I'll see if it can fit into it :)
> 
> Next chapter: It's Draco's first night in his new dormitory and we'll probably see his first few lessons too
> 
> Latin translation: Ordinare - (the) Sorting (If you would prefer to know what the chapter title means before reading the chapter, let me know! If people want it, I'll put this in the notes at the top


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